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REFLECTION

“Hope in times of catastrophe” is the theme for our reflection. Generally, hope means a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. However, in Christianity, hope means the confident expectation in the promises and salvation of the Lord. A catastrophe is an unexpected event that causes great suffering or damage. Hope in times of catastrophe means having confidence in the Lord’s promises and salvation during times of agony or suffering. We shall reflect on the fact that times of catastrophe exposes our human frailty, but hope in God brings restoration.

Beloved in the Lord, the Israelites were taken captives by the Babylonians. Usually, Israel experiences catastrophes when they disobey God by turning away from His commandments. In their unpleasant and agonizing experience as exiles in Babylon, most of them lost hope in God. They thought God had totally ignored or abandoned them in the hands of their enemy. It was at this time that God called Ezekiel, who was also part of the exiles to become a prophet. His calling or ministerial assignment was to assure the exiled Israelites that there is hope for them even in times of catastrophe. The Lord used the vision of the restoration of dry bones to life to assure the exiled Isrealites to have hope in Him even in times of catastrophe. “Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:11-14). Beloved in the Lord, although we may go wayward and consequently find ourselves in catastrophic situations, we are greatly assured that God will not forsake us in our times of trouble and agony. Psalm 50:15 reminds us of God’s assurance, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Again, to demonstrate that there is hope in times of catastrophe, the Lord assures us that “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Dear friend in the Lord, in our catastrophic world, many of us find ourselves in the exile of hopelessness and in the bondage of sin. We are like dry bones with no hope of restoration to life. Drug addiction, sexual immorality, corruption, and unfaithfulness in our relationship with God have made us hopeless dry bones. We are greatly assured that Jesus is our hope in times of catastrophe. It is for this reason, John 3:16-17 tell us is that “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus is our hope in times of catastrophe. He has promised us that, “Behold. I am with you always to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20”. The choice is yours to make today. You can either decide to remain in the exile of sin, suffering, and hopelessness or repent and believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and be fully restored with the hope of the eternal life even times of catastrophe. For “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35,37-39). Surely, with Jesus in our lives, there is always hope of restoration even in times of catastrophe. Shalom

In summary, we have reflected on theme hope in times of catastrophe. ” We have discovered that times of catastrophe exposes our human frailty, but hope in God brings restoration. Shalom.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, strengthen us to remain steadfast and hopeful in times of catastrophe. In times of catastrophe, may our hope be rekindled through repentance, prayer, and knowledge of the Word and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Amen